AU: Raindrops
by serving.ashton
Summary: SEQUEL to AU: StarCrossed... Edward and Bella are together, and at a new school, but their bright future may turn into a storm from their pasts that may destroy them. Rated M... just in case T for now .
1. Chapter 1: Boy's Bathroom

**Okay... here is the sequel to StarCrossed.**

**This is the ONLY disclaimer I am going to post for the whole story, so read it and weep with me for not owning it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, I repeat, do NOT, own Twilight, New Moon, nor do I own any characters, quotes, or events that occur in either novel, etc... Now, cry with me... WAAAHHHH! Sob**

**Okay... here goes nothing:**

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_Edward's Point of View_

I grasped Bella's hand, furiously staring down any male who felt bold enough to even look at Bella.

"Come on," I murmmured to her before beginning to pull her toward the front office. The thoughts of everyone bombarded me.

_Holy Crap, that boy is GORgeous!_

_I can't believe that someone can be that hot. I'm gonna ask him to the fall formal._

_Dang! She is _fine

I growled. So typical. Just to rub it in and show everyone, I pulled Bella closer wrapping and arm around her waist as she wrapped both of hers around mine.

"I love you," I told her, staring down into her eyes as we walked.

"Me too," she replied. I laughed. Then I remembered that we had to wait for our family. I grinned at that. _Our_ family. The Cullens. I was officially a member of the Cullen family. Edward Cullen. Bella was going by the last name of Whitney. I didn't like it. Bella was a Cullen, and she always would be. However, she'd admantly fought to change her last name while we were here, and I conceded fairly quickly once she pointed out that it was the only way that we could 'legally' date in public. The rest of the family followed along once they realized that Bella was going to be her usual stubborn self about this.

"What are you smiling about?" Bella asked.

"The satisfaction I'm getting from being with you when all the other boys are stuck watching." Bella giggled and pressed closer to me.

_Bella's Point of View_

Edward held the door open for me, then the rest of his family, as we entered the front office. A raindrop fell on my hand, and I looked up at the sky before I entered. It was stormy, and raindrops were just beginning to fall. Pulling my hand up to my face as I stood inside, I looked closer at the drop of water. It smelled clean, refreshing. I saw the rainbow of colors reflecting in it from the artificial lights hanging from the ceiling.

"Ms. ... Adams?" Edward called, interrupting me. I shook the droplet from my palm, watching as it splattered on the industrial floor.

"Yes?" I looked up as an attractive (For a human), young woman sat behind a desk. She looked up and smiled pleasantly at Edward. My face heated up, and I stepped forward to grip Edward's hand. I could have sworn that I saw a knowing smirk cross his face before I could get a good look.

"We're the Cullens." Ms. Adams nodded, passing Edward some papers, which he in turn distributed to us all.

"Welcome to Prince Rupert," she greeted us. "Here is a map, all of your schedules, and a form for each teacher to sign throughout the day. Please return it to me at the end of the day, and come ask me if you have any questions." We nodded, and moved into a huddle-like group to compare. I had Gym first, with Edward. _Great._ Now he got to see me humiliate myself. English 1 second, with Alice, Spanish 2 third with no one, Yearbook fourth with Edward, Geometry fifth alone, and Physics sixth with Edward _and_ Alice. Not too bad. Being a freshmen was going to be easy.

After saying goodbye, Edward and I walked to Gym, where I reluctantly parted to go the girls locker room. However, I was soon hearded into the coach's office where I was lectured on rules and other expectations, etc. It was very dull, and made all the more difficult to pay attention to by the fact that Edward was visible through the window, watching me.I was then given a uniform and lock to put on my locker.

I hurried to meet Edward after the bell rang, and he walked me to my second class. Alice was waiting, and Mrs. Miles introduced us to the class before seating us in the back of the room. We were studying _Of Mice and Men_, and I actually listened at first, despite having learned this before when I was a human sophomore. I loved this book. It was so sad, and I really pitied Lenny. He was so naive and innocent. (**AN: Anyone who hasn't read **_**Of Mice and Men**_**, it's a really sad book**) Alice kept thinking stuff to me though, so I stopped listening after a while.

_So, any potential boyfriends here?_ I laughed at her sarcasm, only to stop short when I realized that I'd actually laughed _loudly_. Mrs. Miles was staring.

"Anything to share Miss Whitney?" she asked me. I shook my head.

"No ma'am."

"Pay attention please." I nodded with a sigh, and listened to Alice's amusing thoughts while muttering answers vampire-speed.

Spanish was the worst. I was all alone, and seated next to some senior jock. (**AN: Warning! Cliche jock jerk coming up**)

"Hey, babe. How d'you like the new school?"

"Fine," I said tartly, turning back to watch the crusty old man writing on the board.

"I'll show you around the school, if you want?" he asked, tossing his hay-blonde tousle of hair out of his eyes. They were an icy blue, small and almond shaped. His rather large nose appeared to have been broken once or twice. _Why_ some boys were considered hot and jocks was a mystery to me. Maybe I was biased. A little. Then he spoke again. "The tour can end at my place." I wrinkled my nose imperceptibly.

"No thanks." He blinked.

"Honey, there's no reason to be shy. John's gonna play nice." I made a disgusted face now, this time obvious to the whole room.

"Listen, _John_," I informed him in a harsh hiss. "You're not gonna _play_ with me at all. I've got a boyfriend, and I've got plans." I glared. "So but the-" A knock on the door sent my head snapping up and saved me from some unpleasant words. I could scent from my desk who was on the other side of the door, and I couldn't help the wide smile that spread across my face.

Mr. Taylor continued writing, and I blinked, impatient. His hearing was _clearly_ going away. The knock came again, and finally Mr. Taylor heard and straightened, opening the door.

Edward Cullen stood in the door frame, and I sighed in relief.

"Dr. Arms wants to see Isabella Whitney in his office," he explained, holding up his note as evidence. Everyone looked at me, causing me to blush and stand, gathering my things. Before Edward closed the door behind me, Mr. Taylor had gone back to the board, so I made a point of kissing Edward lightly, who had been glaring at John. I giggled as he grabbed my hand and pushed me against the wall.

"Edward," I reluctantly protested. He bent down to press a kiss against my neck. Clouds of fluff (**AN: haha, fluff :D E&B fluff, to be exact**) overwhelmed my thought process, and I focused all my energy on remembering. "Edwa-Edward... We have to go see Dr. Arms." Edward chuckled against my skin.

"That was just an exuce to get you away from _him_." I barely had time to nod and vaguely wonder how Edward had gotten himself out of class before his lips claimed mine. I smiled against him, wrapping my arms around his neck as his hands slid down my back. We both paused as we heard the door to the building we were in open, and I looked to the side. Boys bathroom. Grinning, I reached from where I was to open the door and we slid inside, where we locked the door before continuing.

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I sighed happily as Edward opened the door five minutes later, peered out into the hallway, and waved for me to come. Stepping outside, I grabbed my things from where they'd fallen on the floor during our kiss. Checking my watch, I commented, "The bell's gonna ring in 5, 4..." I opened the door to outside just as the bell rang, and student came out of their Spanish, French, or German class behind us.

"Lunch, my favorite class," Edward announced brightly, and I giggled.

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**Yeah, don't know how please I am with this, but I'm tired, and kinda now in a bad mood, so sorry. I sort promised a couple people that I'd have a chapter up before midnight, so here you go! And FYI: it's 11:43 so beat that hoes!**


	2. Chapter 2: Theorems

**Okay, so just for your information: Edward and Bella did not have sex. They just made out. Someone messaged me asking, so I just though I'd clear it up. They want to wait 'til they are married, duh! So, whatever, I tried for this one... it's okay. So, I'm in it, in case you wanted to know, but I changed myself a little.**

**Oh, yeah, I just wanted to say "thanks a bunch" to everyone who reviewed. I got 19 reviews, and that just made me want to update, so yay!**

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_Bella's Point of View_

Alice bounded up to me while Edward and I stood in the lunch line.

"Well, I'm just _starving_," she joked loudly to us. Jasper strode up behind her, grabbing her hand. "So..." Alice continued, drawing out the word as she gave me a knowing smirk. I blinked, confused. "How does the boys' bathroom look?" she asked me, and my jaw dropped.

"_Please_ tell me any vision you had didn't last very long?" Alice shook her head.

"_Eww!_ God, no!" She giggled. "I was only looking for what you guys were doing after Jasper felt your emotions..."

"Yeah, could you two scream lust any louder?" Jasper intercepted with a grossed out expression. I wrinkled my nose as well.

"Okay, Jasper- Just so you know, it's really weird to hear you say _lust_. Kinda grosses me out."

I paid for my lunch, then walked over to Edward, who had gotten his and was waiting several feet away. Edward made me blush when he tried to make fun of Jasper's, Alice's and my conversation.

"You better be nice to me," I whispered to him, face inches from his.

"Why?" he asked me.

"Because, I make you happy." Edward laughed.

"Says who?"

"You." I walked away, releasing the hold I'd had on his shirt.

"Bella!" he called, running after me. "Don't go!" I grinned.

"See?" I asked him, turning to find him right behind me.

"Yes. Now, make me happy." I willingly conceded, allowing him to lift me up enough to where I could reach him.

"PDA!" Emmett yelled from the table our family was at, and I turned to face them.

"Hypocrites," I accused, pointing at Emmett's arm around Rosalie, and Alice and Jasper kissing.

For the rest of lunch, I sat next to Edward, merely staring out the window, wondering what sunlight felt like. It had been so long. A whole year, almost. I'd never gone out in sunlight in Forks, even at my meadow.

The bell rang then, and I stood to walk to yearbook. The teacher scared me a little, giving a huge speech on how we had to commit 110 of ourselves to the book or else we should leave the class right then. She actually opened the door and waiting. I remained in my seat, alarmed, while Edward shook with barely contained mirth. Mrs. Howard went on about the book, introducing the editors and showing us old books to illustrate the final product. Then we all received large packets and were ordered to memorize them. I watched Edward with wide eyes, and he smiled and rubbed my cheek soothingly with his thumb.

"Bella, don't stress! It's just school," I told her as a clammer of noise broke out in the class.

"Which is important!" she reminded me.

"Bella, you forget. You're a vampire. That means you'll get an infinite amount of chances the retake this class if you do poorly. And how could you do poorly? You're a mind-reader, and you have me!"

"I do have you," she mused, a light smile playing across her lips.

"Forever," he promised.

"Forever-ever?" I asked. Edward nodded, and I sighed happily.

"Let's go," he urged as the bell rang, and I stood. Edward grabbed my things and walked me to geometry. I looked up into his eyes, sad to be leaving him. I felt an ache, even though I knew I'd see him next period. Fifty five minutes away, he'd be waiting outside the door for me.

"Bye," I said, and he gave me my favorite crooked smile.

I introduced myself to the teacher, Mr. McDaniel. I flushed tomato red when he asked me to introduce myself before seating me next to a brown-haired girl with dark blue eyes. She was averagely tall, about 5'5" or 6", and skinny as a stick. Her bright eyes were large, and a friendly smile flitted to her lips.

"Hey," she said. "I'm Brooke." I smile tentatively. Just because I wasn't supposed to get attached didn't mean I couldn't associate with humans.

"Bella," I told her, and she ducked her head shyly after I realized that she was staring at my face.

"So, do you like Prince Rupert so far?" she asked in a quiet voice. I shrugged.

"It's about the same as our previous home."

"Oh... Where was that?" she asked.

"Forks, Washington." She blinked.

"My cousin lives there!" she said excitedly. Great. Last thing I needed was someone to have ties with my previous home which we'd left to remain inconspicuous.

"Who was it?" I asked without too much enthusiasm.

"Angela Weber." Oh, I liked Angela. Or I had from what I'd known of her.

"Really? What a coincidence," I said. Brooke then turned to listen to the teacher ramble on about the proof for "Theorem 4.1", as it was labeled in the textbook. I smiled. She was nice.

"I hate geometry," I muttered to myself, already missing Edward. sigh I was pathetic. I knew that, and you know what? I was fine with that. I loved Edward. All I knew was that I didn't know (AN: haha, weirdness) what I'd two if I had to separated from him for any length of time. I rested my chin on my desk and watched the board, ignoring the abhorrently lustful thoughts of the boys about me. Absolutely miserable, I had to hiss irritated refusals and silencing words to the two boys who sat behind me and on my other side.

"Listen," I finally told one, James, "If you don't stop asking me out- and talking to me in general- I'll gonna–" Crap, no good threats "–tell my boyfriend." Oh, yeah, _that's_ a good one.

"Miss Whitney!" Mr. McDaniel said loudly. "Just because you're the new student does not mean that you aren't subject to the school rules. There is no grace period here. Speak again and I will be forced to give you detention." I allowed my lashes to flutter a little as I looked at him, the perfect portrayal of the ashamed child.

"I'm sorry, Mr. McDaniel. I won't do it again."

He stared, eyes glazed over, before stammering, "O-of c-c-cour-se," and turning back to the board.

The bell rang, and I jumped up joyously from my desk, grabbing my things. The door opened, and I looked up to see Edward walk in, much to my amusement, since I could see all the stares. My amusement was accompanied by jealousy, but it vanished when I forgot what was going on around me as Edward grabbed my things and looped and arm around my waist.

"I'm not leaving you alone in a room of boys with these thoughts ever again," he announced to me. I laughed, and then noticed Brooke, who's wide blue eyes were watching us.

"Oh, Edward, this is Brooke. Brooke, Edward," I said, gesturing introductorily with my hands.

"Hello," Edward said. "Sorry to have to leave, but we're going to be late to physics."

"Oh, I have physics too." She walked silently beside us to physics. Definitely Angela's cousin. Alice greeted us enthusiastically, and we were seated separately. Well, I was from Alice and Edward, who sat in the back of the class in the left corner while I sat somewhere in the middle.

_Bella?_ I glanced in Alice's direction to acknowledge her. _Edward wants me to tell you that I'm taking you shopping after school._ Edward wants her to tell me this? I looked at her, alarmed, and she hid a giggle from the teacher, Mrs. Lorrel. _It's for your date, which he's taking you on later tonight._ Immediately my mood brightened. Yay!


	3. Chapter 3: Haircut

**I know it's short; sorry. Deal with it ;D Okay, so I'm going out of town this week, starting Tuesday and ending Sunday or something, so I won't be posting on this til I get back, as I'm going to try and post on _Bella's Thirst_ which desperately needs updating, and The Kiss tomorrow before I go. Sorry it's been so long, lots of excuses that don't change the fact that I didn't update. The ponit is I have my reasons and I'm not giving them out.**

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_Bella's Point of View_

I sighed dramatically as I walked into the mall, Alice attached to my arm.

"Come on!" she squealed before taking off, dragging me behind her as I stumbled to keep on my feet. Dragging me into a store, she let go of my hand to start flinging clothes at me almost too fast to remain unsuspicious.

"Does it matter what I get? Edward won't be surprised. He'll see in your head what I'm getting, or you'll have a vision and he'll see," I protested before skirt flew and hit me in the head. "_Alice!_"

"Sorry. And don't worry. Edward won't be going in _my_ head any time soon. Trust me." I glanced at her suspiciously.

"What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing. I just let him know that I wasn't unopposed to sharing with you a few details I happened to procure about Edward's future." The heap was growing higher in my arms, and I pretended to sag under the weight for the benefit of the workers in the store, who were staring.

"What did you find out?" I asked curiously. Alice gave me a knowing smirk.

"If I told you, I wouldn't have any leverage on Edward." Then she lead me to the dressing rooms, demanding to see everything

There were so many outfits to try on, it took forever. However, they weren't the typical Alice costumes. They were nicer, dressier, almost, but still casual in a way. One included a knee-length skirt out of a soft black material that flowed when I moved and when with a solid, dark-blue ribbed shirt that had buttons to halfway down the shirt. Alice rejected that one after making me walk in the six inch heels she'd found. "It didn't look right." That's what she said. Several dress were also rejected, including a fancy red one that was very short and a black and white cocktail-type dress. The dark, nice jeans that I tried on were too large, and so Alice traded in for smaller sizes, but those were too large as well. She gave up on pants, and led me to another store; not until after buying the red dress, however.

"It might come in handy," she said with a wink as she pulled me into the store next to the first. The process was then repeated until Alice stopped me, and smile playing on her lips.

"Perfect," she mouthed to herself.

It was a dress, a spaghetti strap dress. It was a kind of v-neck, thin white string-type straps, with a white "body" for the dress and black, green, and pale yellow pattern. The pattern was of simple, oval-ish leaves, connected by simple black lines. A thick black bow of a certain fabric I didn't know the name of was tied around it right underneath the chest-line. However, the bow was so thick that it extended almost to my waist. Underneath the bow, the fabric flowed in an outward direction just a little, until at the bottom, which was a little above the knee, another strip of fabric of the same material as the bow was sewn on.

Alice then took me to a store that had a whole bunch of accessories. She quickly selected some black donut earrings, plastic and very "in" according to her. She also grabbed a matching necklace of big, black beads. The shoes were kept simple (I was finally able to exert my will over hers in shopping, refusing the four inch stilettoes she had been insisting on) in classic black ballet flats.

"Good!" she announced after grabbing the bags of stuff. "Time for hair." Hair? Oh, no.

"I though you did my hair," I said in confusion when she stopped me at a hair salon.

"Not today!" she announced.

"Alice," I warned, and she turned to look at me with innocent eyes. "I'm _NOT_ getting my hair cut." I could see right though her schemes and into her mind, literally. She pouted.

"Why not!" she complained. "Just a couple inches or something?" she asked hopefully. I pretended to consider, then grinned.

"Okay!" Alice squealed. "_If_ you shave your head." Alice looked horrified.

"See? I'm going to have to live for forever with my hair Alice!" I told her, then flushed when I saw that several humans had turned to look at me strangely. "I mean... six months or so before it grows back... that is forever!"

"Fine," Alice pouted again, and pulled me in there. "Well, you're getting your hair styled, at least."

Alice squealed when she saw me , hair done. "Edward is gonna _freak_ when he sees you!" she exclaimed. I smiled, and she dragged me to get a french manicure and peticure. After I was forced to endure the nail salon, Alice proceeded to lug me back to the house to do my make-up. Green tones to bring out my eyes and accentuate the dress, she told me as she lightly brush the eyeshadow across my eyes after making a thin line with the dark brown liner. Mascara followed, then the red, but not blood-red, lipstick. Then she made me put on the dress, stepping back to admire her work.

"Well, it looks nice if I do say so myself." Turning I looked in the mirror, looking at myself. Bending closer, I peered at my reflection before pulling away.

"Thanks, Alice," I told her, knowing that's what she wanted to hear. And because I did look great, thanks to Alice's work Checking her watch, Alice gasped and pulled me out of her huge bathroom.

"Gosh, time flies when you're having fun!" she exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes at the hours that had dragged past. Depositing me at the top of the stairs, Alice stepped around the corner to give us 'privacy' while she peeked around at us.

I started walking down the steps as I cleared my throat.

"Edward?" He turned around, and I watched as his expression changed.

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**Ha, you don't get to see his reaction XP**

**Pictures of Bella's outfit are on my profile. I purposefully didn't put in the description very well so you can see it from Edward's Point of View, not Bella. However, the pics are still on my profile.**

**Read and Review, and go easy please, as I know this chapter sucks. ;D**


	4. Chapter 4: Luna

**Sorry it took SOOO long! I did it again! Same thing I did in StarCrossed: wrote a chapter with a restaurant scene, and then I remembered that they can't eat! So I had to rewrite it again! Plus, I've been so busy, but now driver's ed is OVER! Thanks to that stupid law I had to take it! Oh well**

After this chapter, I'm now going to try to work on Bella's Thirst. I'm determined to get out a couple chapters before I update any others. I'm feeling very guilty because a lot of people liked that story, and I've been so frustrated with it and haven't updated it in forever. So be happy for everyone who liked that story! I'm going to try and bring it back to life!

Disclaimer: I own neither the music, quotes, or anything from Twilight or New Moon.

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_Edward's Point of View_

KISS ME TOO FIERCELY  
HOLD ME TOO TIGHT  
I NEED HELP BELIEVING  
YOU'RE WITH ME TONIGHT  
MY WILDEST DREAMINGS  
COULD NOT FORESEE  
LYING BESIDE YOU  
WITH YOU WANTING ME

I stared. That was all I could do. My mouth hung open, eyes glazed over, and I gaped.

Never was anyone as beautiful as Bella, but she looked amazingly gorgeous now. She always did when Alice played dress-up with her, but it still stunned me every single time. Her gorgeous, straight brown hair was curled slightly, and done up high in a messy bun, several thin strands hanging in ringlets around her face. I grew lost in her warm brown eyes, color magnified by the subtle green eyeshadow Alice had used and the mascara and eyeliner. He dress clung to her upper torso until under the thick black ribbon attached around her waist just below the chestline, where it poofed out _just_ a little, green and yellow complementing her skin tone, flowing smoothly until another ribbon ran around the hem at the bottom. A rather rosey red painted her lips, which naturally pouted perfectly as usual.

"Bella," I whispered, and she dashed down the stairs and into my arms. I wrapped my arms around her waist and gave her a gentle kiss. "You are incredible." She flushed, and I reveled in the sight. "Are you ready?" I asked her, and she nodded against my shoulder.

Setting her into my Volvo, I drove speedily down toa plain white building. We talked about school and random topics. Opening her door once we were there, I tossed the keys to the man by the door (**AN: I can't remember what the driver people are called, haha**).

"Edward," Bella asked suspiciously, "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see," I told her, wrapping an arm around her waist as we walked over to the counter.

"I'm Edward Cullen, here to pick up my key." The woman, Josie according to her name tag, nodded, eyes glazed and oggling. Bella scowled at her as she dropped a key into my extended palm after pulling out a small white box out from under the counter.

"It's the first one on the left," Josie told me with a flutter of her lashes. I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her attempts. As we turned to leave, Bella grabbed the neck of my shirt, pulling me down closer to her as she stretch up to reach me, pressing her lips passionatly against mine. I knew she was doing this for Josie's benefit, and I didn't protest.

_God, she's so lucky. He's gorgeous. It's not fair. I bet he's a really good kisser. I hate her. They look like they're shooting an ad for cologne or something. He's so perfect, his perfect eyes, his perfect hair, his per-_ I blocked off her words. I felt Bella smile against my lips and I knew she'd been listening. I wrapped my arms around her waist and she wrapped hers around my neck. No longer caring if Josie got the picture or not, I bent lower as the kiss became more intense. Bella fisted her hands in my hair and I squeezed her tighter against me.

"Excuse me!" a voice exclaimed, pitch rising drastically as she spoke. "Please, go outside immediately to your-"

JUST FOR THIS MOMENT  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE  
I'VE LOST ALL RESISTANCE  
AND CROSSED SOME BORDERLINE  
AND IF IT TURNS OUT  
IT'S OVER TOO FAST  
I'LL MAKE EV'RY LAST MOMENT LAST  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE…

"Yes, thank you. We will," I cut her off, stopping her from ruining my surprise. I was pleased to see that Bella wouldn't be able to tell anything from the thoughts of anyone near. Twining my fingers with Bella's, I smiled down at her before leading her out the back door of the building. She gaped.

(I thought about leaving you here with another short chapter, but I didn't. XD I'm being nice)

_Bella's Point of View_

Holy crow. Edward had bought it. I looked at the words painted on the side, _Bella Luna_, a total coincidence, and was swept back in memories.

"Edward, you didn't-"

"I did." Turning to face him, I threw my arms around his neck and lay my head on his chest.

"It's our boat," I whispered. He nodded from above me. And it was; the boat that we'd taken out for our first date was in the harbor in front of me.

"I couldn't let it go. I had to find it." A grin spread across his face. "You should have seen the fight the other buyer put up. He didn't want me to have it." I grabbed his hand and pushed away, running down the dock to turn left, almost sliding off the dock in my haste, but Edward saved me, and I ran up the steps onto the boat.

"It looks the exact same," I said, stunned. The setting, the everything.

"All it needs is you," Edward told me, urging me onto the flat deck. He quickly moved to the small room to return a moment later. "I hired someone to work the boat for us." (**AN: I remind you: I have NO idea how a boat works, besides the little turning thing that old movies have that the captain turns. So yeah, just deal with my unimaginative imagination**)

"Now we won't be disturbed?" I asked, stepping closer and grinning up at him. He shook his head, leaning down. I grinned wider, getting up on my tip-toes. Closing my eyes, I waited for him to reach me. Suddenly my eyes opened wide and I screamed. Edward's fingers sought out every place in my body to make me laugh. He gripped me around the waist with one hand, the other tickling my stomach and arms. "_Edward!_" I screeched, kicking and fighting to get away. I actually managed to knock us over by accidentally kicking the railing hard enough that Edward was caught by surprise, resulting in him on his back and me on my back on top of him. He stopped tickling me for a moment, trying to understand exactly what had happened, and I flipped over so that my legs spilled onto the deck and my arms supported me over him, holding me about eight inches away, hair spilling over my shoulders and around us.

MAYBE I'M BRAINLESS  
MAYBE I'M WISE  
BUT YOU'VE GOT ME SEEING  
THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES  
SOMEHOW I'VE FALLEN  
UNDER YOUR SPELL  
AND SOMEHOW I'M FEELING  
IT'S "UP" THAT I FELL ...

"I messed up your hair," he told me softly, touched the curls gently and trapping them between my cheek and his hand as he touched my face. I pretended to pout.

"Yes, you did," I informed him as I bent closer. I stopped though, scarcely a hair's bredth away and lifted my head again. "I'm _very_ upset with you," I reminded him, "for tickling me." Standing up, I brushed my dress off and walked to the other side of the boat, the right side (**AN: Whatever that's called. Please don't bother to educate me, haha. I'll never remember anyway**). Edward followed of course, making attempts to wrap me up in his arms.

EVERY MOMENT  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE  
I'LL WAKE UP MY BODY  
AND MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME...

"I'm sorry?" he offered. I shook my head, stepping out of arms reach. "If you don't come over here," he teased, " I'll throw you overboard again. I sniffed.

"Alice would be very peeved to say the least," I informed him. "And that would not make things any better for you," I added to him. I could see him shrug from the corner of my eyes.

SAY THERE'S NO FUTURE  
FOR US AS A PAIR ...

"Okay, maybe Josie is still at her desk." I whipped around and growled at the mention of that human. Edward chuckled as I ran over and hit him on the shoulder once before carefully placing myself in his arms. "Only joking, love."

Edward had the entire night planned out. We talked as Edward pointed out more constellations to me, and he held my hand as I lay on the deck and leaned out with my torso to reach the water with my hair, only to have my entire face sprayed with water, which Edward took intense pleasure at.

"You look so incredible," he told me after I used a towel to wipe off my face, which including wiping off the make-up Alice and Rosalie had applied.

AND THOUGH I MAY KNOW  
I DON'T CARE …

"So I look gorgeous with _and_ without the make-up?" I asked. He nodded.

"You look beautiful no matter what," he told me, and I smiled, allowing him to kiss me sweetly. When he pulled away, he continued. "But I love you like this," he whispered. "You look so natural, so beautiful. You are the most beautiful being in the world."

He was so perfect. I blinked, head jerking fully upright as he lifted me off the ground to place my feet, now bare, as I'd shed my shoes, on his own. "Edward!" I protested.

"You do realize that in the nine months I've known you, we've never danced."

I'd never realized this, so I said, "That's because I _can't_ dance, Edward!"

"Don't worry, I know," he assured me with a smile. "It's all in the leading." I hesitantly placed my hands on his neck, and he put his arms around my waist. Then, we were twirling around the room. I couldn't even name the dance, but I smiled, euphoric, as Edward waltzed us around the room (**AN: I'm just using waltz as a term for dancing, not the actual dance**).

JUST FOR THIS MOMENT  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE  
COME BE HOW YOU WANT TO  
AND SEE HOW BRIGHT WE SHINE  
BORROW THE MOONLIGHT  
UNTIL IT IS THROUGH  
AND KNOW I'LL BE HERE HOLDING YOU  
AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE...

"I love you," I told him.

"And I love you," he replied.

------------------------------------------

Soaking wet, Edward drove us home.

"Alice won't be happy," I commented, indicating with a wave of my hand toward our wet clothes.

"She'll survive."

Once we were there, we separating to go change in our separate rooms. We had different rooms until we were married, which I didn't know when that would be. I was wistfully thinking of the day, hopefully soon. I sighed, changing quickly into my flannel plaid pajama pants and a plain gray fitted t-shirt, meeting Edward in his room to lay on his black leather couch.

"I love you," he said again, and I responded, "I love you so much." He nodded with his chin on my head.

"I'll always love you Bella, so much, for forever." I sighed contentedly, complete faith and adoration filling me. (**AN: Is contentedly even a word? Oh well, who cares**)


	5. Chapter 5: Happiness

**Okay, so I now it's a bit of a cliffie, but honestly, how often do I REALLY give you guys a cliff hanger? Not Ver Often. So cut me some slack here peoples xD. Anyway, this is a bit of a tragic chapter, from my perspective, since I know what shall happen. The reason this chapter is so short is because I was running out of fluff, because the plot was in my head going (in QUITE an obnoxious voice, I might add), "WRITE ME, WRITE ME!" So this is the end of their happiness.**

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

"_Bella!_" I heard the voice shrieking at me and I groaned from the embrace of Edward's arms.

"She saw our wet clothes," I whispered. Rolling off the couch with a yelp as I tried to untangle myself from Edward's tight embrace.

"No!" Edward mumbled, burying his face in my neck as we lay on the ground now. I finally managed to leap to my feet as Alice came barreling into the room like a bull. And I was the red flag. Letting out a screech, I started to run away, dashing around the speedy Alice, I sprinted downstairs, Alice on my heels as she jumped and tackled me to the ground on the landing.

"Alice!" I screeched. "Sto-" my yell was muffled when the stomach of her shirt was pressed up against my mouth.

My wonderful boyfriend, though ever welcome in my sight, was a joyful being to behold as he came to my rescue, lifting Alice off me, a bit rough than necessary after she extracted a grunt of pain from me at her little fists coming in contact with my face. He glared at her before pulling me up and trapping me in his arms, which I laughed a little as his unneeded concern and returned the embrace.

"That was a _lot_ of work!" Alice complained furiously, crouched on the steps. I wasn't quite sure why she was _that_ angry. I wrote it off as clothes and shopping being her passion.

"Well, I'm sorry, Alice." Looking up at Edward, I smirked. "It was Edward's fault!" Edward's laugh was a loud chuckle, and he looked at Alice to see her face. She didn't appear angry anymore, more than drained. Frowning, I reached into her mind, but it was blocked. Sometimes it felt like she held a curtain up in her mind, and if I tried hard enough, I could get through it; I simply didn't out of respect for her privacy. This time, the sensation was similar to that of running straight into an iron wall composed of strong lyrics and words meant to block me.

Peering at her intently, Alice's face was unreadable as far as the reason to her mind-block.

"Alice, wh–" she cut me off again.

"I'm tired. I'm going to my room," she said before running upstairs, leaving me in Edward's arms. Jasper soon appeared out of nowhere and in a flash was up after his wife.

"What was that?" Edward asked with a frown pulling down on his perfect brow.

"I have no idea," I responded, releasing his waist and tugging on his arm upstairs. "She must just be frustrated about something." I smiled mischievously. "While she cools off- In the meantime- I think we have something we can be doing upstairs..." He returned my grin with a crooked smile of his own, eyes smoldering as he followed more than willingly, pinning me against the wall as we entered his room and slammed the door before crushing his lips to mine.

------

**Edward's Point of View**

I stood, pulling my wrinkled shirt over my head and helping Bella up. Her clothes were also wrinkled, and I laughed as she tried to flatten the creases. Looking up at me, Bella pouted, and I stared at her... She was so beautiful. Her large, dark eyes that I knew had once been a warm brown gazed back at me, and I turned my eyes to her perfect, full lips. The way her dark brown hair framed her face, tangled now, and the way her brow puckered a bit in her pout were so entrancing I couldn't take my eyes off her.

That was until I caught a wave of Alice's pain, my mind having been completely open, though I hadn't noticed. Immediately focusing on her thoughts, I stared in horror at Bella's face now, the small object I'd picked up off the floor with my shirt now dust, whatever it was. I couldn't remember.

My world crumbled with it.

* * *

**So, I should maybe have another chapter of Bella's Thirst up tomorrow, as long as I have no homework, which is probable. And maybe another chapter of The Kiss. Then I'll start on another chapter of this one.**


	6. Chapter 6: Action?

**Muahahaha, so now we find out why Edward is so distraught. I was wrestling with several variations of what I wanted to be in the vision, and now I've decided.**

**So, forgive the wait and enjoy the mediocre chapter.**

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

I looked up at Edward with a pout before lifting myself on my toes to reach him again. I was about an inch away from him before I saw his face. He pushed me away, gently, but with enough force that I was well out of arms' reach. Edward looked like he'd just seen death.

"Edward?" I whispered. My love didn't respond, and I reached out toward him, to which he stepped away from me.

"Stay away," he said, voice cold and harsh. I could feel a burning sensation in my eyes, the kind that used to accompany tears before I was a vampire. Tears couldn't come though, but my lower lip still trembled. Edward's golden gaze briefly met my wide, hurt eyes before he looked away. _Never_ had Edward refused me; nor had he ever spoken to me in that tone, not even in jest.

"What's wrong Edward?" I asked, voice shaking and the room spinning.

"Just stay away for now," he said in the same tone. Then, too fast for most vampires even, Edward dashed out of the house, dragging Alice with him, as far as I could tell by the sound of it. I couldn't read her mind, she'd closed it.

Flinging my door open, since Edward had slammed it shut as he left, I screamed, "_Jasper!_"

------

**Edward's Point of View**

"What do I do, Alice?" I exclaimed frantically, voice well above normal volume.

"Edward, calm down. Not everything it permanent. That was just a fluke. Maybe you guys are going to have an argument, and it briefly crossed you mind. You'd never do anything like that." She was lying, I could tell. Alice was worried. This was serious.

"I haven't argued with her, so you wouldn't have seen it yet."

"Edward, that was a fluke! I won't happen!" Alice was frantic with worry over Bella, despite her comforting me.

"You can't guarantee that," I said, a theory forming in my mind. I carefully kept it theoretical, so that Alice wouldn't see it coming. "Alice. You _can't_ tell Bella. Swear to me." Alice's eyes met mine and looked away. I knew Alice and Bella were best friends, but Alice and I had grown close since I'd come to live with them.

"What would I even say if I told her?" Alice said, returning her gaze to mine. I sighed with relief.

"What are we going to do Alice?" I asked, sitting beside her on the fallen log we were by; we'd come far from the house so no one could hear us. She put a hand on my shoulder and I immediately put my head on her small shoulder, beginning to dry sob with tears I'd never shed.

"We're going to go home and pretend like I never had this vision." Alice told me, pushing me away and standing, reaching out with a hand to run with me home.

--------------

**Bella's POV**

As soon as I heard the door open I flew out of Jasper's arms and down the stairs right for Edward. Alice's mind was safely closed, and while Edward hugged me, there was a difference in the way he held me- he held me gingerly, and there was no passion or feeling in the hug. Alice watched, and I turned my head with worry to look at her. She shook her head before dashing upstairs, very likely to Jasper, who greeted her warmly, so unlike my boyfriend's own welcome.

"Can we go upstairs?" I asked, trying to make an attempt at a coy smile. "We can pick up where we left off." Edward shook his head, and my face fell. "Let's just go hunt." A sense of foreboding creeping into my mind, I nodded and firmly took his hand before walking outside with him, holding on as though my life depended on it.

**Alice's POV**

Jasper held me as I ran up to him before he reached down and picked me up bridal style, carrying me to our room.

We were home alone except Edward and Bella, and I doubted either was listening.

Jasper lay me on our bed, sensing my distress, and lay next to me on one elbow, and kissed my neck gently. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, just lying there for a long while until Bella and Edward had been gone for half an hour.

"What was your vision," Jasper asked me, lifting his face from where it'd been buried in my neck to look at me. I rubbed a thumb across the skin of Jasper's scar-covered arm and blinked as my breath caught with a fresh wave of fear. Jasper clutched me closer upon sensing this with his ability.

"Edward killed Bella," I whispered.

Jasper's reaction was immediate. A growl rose in his throat in defense of Bella; he and Edward were friends, but Bella was family. She'd been with us for nearly a century. His eyes darkened and I put a calming hand on him.

"It's okay. Edward would never do that. And you _can't_ tell Bella."

Jasper growled. "He'd better not."


	7. Chapter 7: Clothes

**Okay, so this chapter isn't very long, but I'm planning on writing a much longer next chapter, which I think you will both love and hate xD.**

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

* * *

I was left in shock for the rest of the week, a sense of foreboding spreading through my mind as Edward grew more and more distance. He was affectionate in a sense that he still held my hand, but there was no feeling behind his motions. Never had he been so cold, not even when we'd only just met. 

"I'm scared, Alice," I confided to her in a whisper in second period English on Friday. "I don't know what's wrong with him, and I don't know what to do." Tears began to well up in my eyes, and I bit down on my lip to keep myself from actually crying.

Alice took my hand from her desk next to me and whispered equally quietly, "Bella, it's fine, I'm sure. Edward will get over it." I looked up hopefully; Alice _was_ the psychic, after all.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," Alice responded, but her voice was unsteady, and there was a tone of uncertainty in her voice. My jaw trembled, but I had to clench it to stop myself from breaking down as the bell rang and we stood, collecting our things. I had Spanish next, and no one was going to be with me, leaving me to the vicious wolves of students in the class. Edward was at my door as I left the room with Alice, and we walked silently to my classroom, like he always did. Now, however, we walked as though going to a funeral; Edward walked as far away from me as possible while holding my hand, and he didn't look at me but once. I could have asked him what was wrong, but I'd already done that, to which Edward responded with an irate, "Nothing" before returning to the novel he'd been reading.

Once outside my Spanish class, I stopped and faced Edward, who looked down at me with dark eyes- he'd need to hunt soon.

"I love you," I told him. He watched me before smiling briefly.

"I know." And then he left.

I didn't go to Spanish that day.

----------------------------------------

"You weren't in Yearbook or Physics today," Edward commented as we drove home. I didn't respond for a moment and Edward prompted me with a, "Bella?"

Anger culminating to a climax at this point, I turned my head to glare at Edward, snapping, "I didn't want to see you then." Luckily, he'd just pulled into the driveway, so we were essentially stopped. I thought I saw a flicker of hurt in Edward's eyes before I hurled myself out of the car and stomped my way up into our room.

Edward, of course, followed, and he came and sat next to me on our couch. My tear filled eyes turned upward to watch him warily, wondering what he would say. "Are you okay?" he asked. My eyes widened, and I shook my head.

"No! I'm not okay, Edward. I don't know what's been going on with you, but it's not good." I couldn't look at him for fear that his piercing topaz eyes would melt me.

"I'm sorry?" Edward offered, taking one arm and pulling me into a warm hug. I sighed, thinking maybe I'd gotten through to him and it would be okay.

**--------------------------------**

The next day, Saturday, Alice took me shopping. Her excuse was that Edward might get over whatever was bothering him if he could see me looking "smokin'".

"Alice... can't you just talk to Edward? You guys are really close. I just want to know what's upseting him so I can help." Alice cast me a glance that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Bella, I don't think this is anything I can fix." I opened my mouth to ask what exactly she meant and what she new when we both turned, having heard a voice calling our names aloud. I saw that it was Brooke, Angela's cousin from my geometry class.

"Hey! I'm surprised to see you two here!" she exclaimed. Apparently she was much friendlier once you first met her. "I was just looking around for a new top. Are you guys looking for anything in particular?" I blinked, surprised by the rapidness of her speech.

"Nothing in particular," I said, but Alice disagreed.

"We're going to get Bella some clothes; she needs some." I grumbled under my breath and Alice elbowed me.

Two hours and a half later, Alice, Brooke, and I left the mall laden with clothes and bags. Alice had bought me lingerie, some nice tops, and more jeans. She'd also purchased several items that were _tiny_, size zeros and double zeros, that she'd forced upon an unsuspecting Brooke once we'd exited the mall. I looked up at the cloudy sky and sighed. Back home to Edward.

"Where are you parked, Brooke?" Brooke laughed.

"Oh, I'm meeting my brother, Jon, here in about five minutes. He drove me." I'd forgotten that Alice and I were supposed to be freshmen. Usually we rode with Edward, who was posing as a 16 year old who was held back a year, or Emmett or Rosalie, when going to school or around town, but when in the city, we drove ourselves.

"Um... Rose is coming to pick us up. We're supposed to meet her..." Alice looked around and pointed all the way across the lot. "...over there." Brooke nodded with another smile, exposing her white, straight teeth that were likely the result of braces.

"Oh, well then I'll see you on Monday?" I nodded and waved as Alice pulled me away before we took the long route to our car. Sitting in the passenger seat, I looked at the green forests rolling past and sighed in appreciation of the beauty. Only a vampire could see each pine needle, each glimmer of light or dew, to its full extent. So lost was I in my thoughts that I only realized that we were at home when Alice poked me before jumping out of the driver's side.

"Now, go show Edward your new clothes," my sister encouraged. Walking quickly up the stairs, I opened the door to my room and found Edward sitting on the couch again, staring out the window of our room.

"Edward," I said, seeking to gain his attention. He glanced at me, laden with bags, and jumped up. After walking towards me, he took all my things and put them on the floor carefully.

"Bella, can we go on a walk?"

* * *

**Hmmm, sound familiar? **

**So, I'll hopefully update soon, but I made a resolution to try and update all my stories a bit more than I have been.**

**Anyways, farewell for now!**

**P.S.: You know how I love reviews ;)**


	8. Chapter 8: ForgetMeNot

**Bella's Point of View**

* * *

I had the strongest urge to run in the opposite direction for as long as I could. I couldn't breath, not that I needed to, and I had a tingling sensation in my face that was reminiscent of my human life when the blood would drain from my already pale face. It was like the skin was tightening across my skull, and I felt colder than typical. Hell was freezing over, I could feel it in my veins, flowing with blood stolen from animals' bodies. 

"Okay," I said before following Edward a long ways into the woods, out of earshot of our family. It didn't take us long, but I was afraid to go further. Each step I took was like a weight being added to my shoulders, more and more worry burdening my mind. At a certain point, I wasn't sure where we were, I stopped and refused to take a step further. It was like Edward was procrastinating this moment, and I refused to allow him to put it off when it was killing me.

"What is going on?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even, though my undead heart was, metaphorically speaking, hammering in my chest. When he raised his face I swallowed at the coldness radiating from his pitch black orbs. His beautiful bronze hair seemed so far out of touch for me, like I could reach for it for forever but I would never be able to feel its soft strands on my fingertips again. His strong jaw, his straight nose, noble features, they were all set like stone, made with no feeling at all, and I wondered when he would become my Edward again, the one I recognized and knew as well as I knew myself.

"Bella, I'm leaving Prince Rupert," he said. I blinked, shocked, but relieved in a way.

"Why?" I asked. "There's no need to. But, if you want to travel or something we could jus-" Edward cut me off there, shaking his head.

"You aren't coming." I frowned, confusion clouding my mind and expression as I struggled to solve this new puzzle set out before me. It was as though I could see the only piece left, and my mind had a clue as to what it led to, but it couldn't process the single step it would take to complete this mind game Edward seemed determined to play.

"What are you talking about? Why do I have to stay? You're not going to do something dangerous, are you? Because it doesn't matter to me if you are, but-" I was intercepted again, left watching Edward raise a finger to silence me as he stood, motionless, for a full minute. His face grew inscrutable, and when he raised his face, my breath caught in my throat. His eyes were flat, black, and emotionless. They didn't burn with desire or love as they used to, and I shuddered at the controlled expression on his face.

"I don't want you with me, Bella." He had a hard time saying my name, as his voice broke twice while uttering the one syllable word. My lip trembled inexplicably, and I shook my head, refusing to believe what I'd heard.

"I don't understand."

"I don't love you anymore." The words were said, and my dark brown eyes flew up to his from where they'd been resting on the ground. The piece was placed. Of course he didn't. He'd always been too good for me, and now he'd tired of me. My mind instantly emptied, though replaced by a disturbing, ethereal fog.

"Oh." The only word I could form was 'oh'. Edward continued, apparently oblivious to my zombie-like state.

"I'll always love you in a way, Bella," he said, stumbling over my name again. My very presence and name must be toxic to him, if he could barely force himself to say my own name. "But you're not the one for me." I swallowed the feeling of my stomach roiling as if I had something in my stomach to vomit. I could feel, from a distance, my face mutating into the transfigured face many humans had when they cried. However, for me there were no tears; no release of water came, just as I knew there would be no return from the horror that shrouded me.

"Oh," I said again. Our last moments together, my last chance to make him stay, and all I could manage was one, stupid word. No wonder he was so eager to leave me.

"Goodbye," he told me, hesitating and looking as though he would step forward to me. But no, instead he turned and walked away. He walked away. He walked away. He walked away.

I could feel him leaving. I always had this sense that Edward was around, like I could feel his presence when he was near. Every step he took, the weaker that string that connected us became. A point came, after a time, I didn't know how much, that I could feel that string snap. Whatever it was that had tied me to him, body and soul, had been cut, and I was alone in a dark forest with nothing in the world. I feel to my knees, head falling back so that my face was facing the sky. I didn't think. My mouth fell open and I let out a piercing scream that was so loud I was sure Edward heard it, wherever he was. It echoed back to me, and I heard my pain again and again before the numbness set in.

Nothing mattered anymore. Time meant nothing, and so I stayed, kneeling on the dirt with eyes unblinking. Love meant nothing, as _he_ did not return my feeling, and so I did not follow. Life meant nothing, and so I resigned myself to laying on the forest floor until I withered away to nothing.

I sought nothing, and so I became nothing. My mind desired to die, and so I could feel a tsunami of nothingness rolling toward me before enveloping me. I never rose to the surface.

* * *

**Not a fun chapter to right, so it's not too long. I just wanted to try and pretend like I wasn't reliving the pain of New Moon.**

**Read and Review? Please? Thanks! **


	9. Chapter 9: He Walked Away

**Okay, so another chapter written. It's not quite as long as I'd hoped, but I thought that it was a decent way to end the chapter. It was really hard to write too, since Bella's perspective was nearly impossible... she wasn't really thinking much... at all. Anyway, tragically, the last chapter was Edward's final appearance for a while, I will tell you that. But soon another character, my least favorite, will make a semi-permanent appearance. Kudos and a mention in the next chapter to anyone who can guess who that is. And let me tell you, if you know _anything_ at all about me, you'll know how that character's story will end. Actually, if you know anything about me at all, you'll know who this person is.**

**Ooh, and I updated Bella's Thirst AND A Day Late, for those of you interested.****  
**

* * *

**Alice**

I paced back and forth after Bella and Edward left, trying harder than ever before to get a vision of what was happening. My fists were tight and held stiffly at my sides. I could feel the skin on my face tightening as my expression was twisted into a grimace of concentration and pain.

Eventually I sighed and relaxed my hands, turning to Jasper with pent up frustration. "I can't see them!" I cried before my muscles locked and I lost sight of what was before me.

_ Bella stood facing Edward pleading with him. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Then Edward shook his head and stepped away. Bella reached out automatically. She didn't even know she had done so. Edward paused before stepping away and turning away. Then he ran, faster than he had ever run. Bella stood, and there was a sensation of time fast forwarding for me, but Bella never moved, not for long hours. Then her face crumbled and she fell to her knees, head lolling back. I reached up and covered my ears in a failed attempt to block the ear-splitting screech that was emitted by her mouth._

"Alice!" I heard Jasper's cry from a distance, and he shook my body before I was brought back to reality. His concerned face was close to mine, and I opened my mouth to cry without tears.

"That _BASTARD!_" I screamed and I saw Jasper's taken back face. I was about to grab his hand and explain as we hurried to find Bella, my worry growing into a panicked frenzy when we both froze at the sound we heard. It was Bella's scream, the one from my vision. It was a million times worse in reality. The pain, the forlorn hopelessness, the agony and fear and anger resonating in the scream that was so high and carrying that it would echo for minutes, hurting our ears, made my chest heave with a dry sob.

Jasper straightened, nostrils flaring as he recognized Bella's voice. It was then that I grabbed his hand and pulled him as quickly as I could out the door without telling anyone else. Jasper sensed my panic and ran equally quickly, almost slowing down for my shorter legs to keep up with. I explained my vision as we went, and Jasper's eyes darkened with anger. We'd all liked Edward, and he and I had developed some sort of bond of closeness, but Bella was our sister, and if forced to choose, the choice was obvious.

We only stopped when we reached an empty clearing and I looked around. It looked the exact same as the one I'd seen Bella in. They _all_ looked the exact same.

"I don't know where she is!" I cried.

* * *

** Bella**

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away.

He walked away. He walked away. He walked away. He walked away. He. Walked. Away.

The thought ran through my numbed mind, and I think I was vaguely aware of the various stages of light and dark before I felt an unusual sense of cold and wet. My forehead creased, I think, in a detached way. I couldn't tell. A drop fell in my eye and I blinked and half-focused my vision. There was wet falling from the sky. It was getting me wet. My clothes were wet. I was wet. My hair was wet as it dragged on the ground. I didn't care. I fell down on to my back. Not on purpose, but I didn't care. So I stayed, my arms and legs splayed. I think the only thoughts that remained in my head, the only facts I knew, were him. His hair- how iy looked, how it felt, how it smelled. His eyes- their colour, their warmth- no. I concentrated. They weren't warm- they were cold, colder than anything I'd ever known. Had I known?

His face was there, in my mind, every instant, looking at me with those cold eyes. He was beautiful. He was perfect. He wasn't mine. He walked... away.

* * *

**Alice**

It was three days later. "Two damn days!" I said roughly to myself as I searched farther and farther away from home. Every tree looked the same as the one from Bella's vision. That was what I called it. Bella's vision- the one that would change her life forever. And I didn't look for more visions of her. I knew she would simply be stumbling around in the woods, possibly lost, possibly hunting. She'd been far, far away from home, I knew that.

Suddenly I paused, senses alert. Did I smell Bella? No, I thought with sagging shoulders, it was just a deer that came out a moment later from a bush, running away from me. I didn't bother giving chase, though my eyes were dark and I was thirsty. I took a few steps before I stopped again, alert in an instant. I knew it this time. It was Bella's scent. She'd always smelled distinctively, like strawberries and freesia. My head turned, and I followed the scent like a hunting dog.

I emerged in a clearing, stunned at the sight. Bella was there- she hadn't moved in almost four days. The sun was about to set and there she lay, on her back with her arms and legs splayed like she was a broken doll. She stared up, and I don't think she saw anything with her black eyes, or heard me as I approached. Shivers wracked her body, and I saw that her clothes were wet from the rain, her hair darkened from the water and face covered in droplets that clung to her face and lashes. It almost made it look like she had cried. Her delicate face was frozen, and her alabaster skin as perfect as a porcelain doll.

"He walked away," she whispered, voice hoarse. My heart wrenched with sorrow and anger. I hated Edward at that moment. I guessed she'd been muttering that phrase for the entirety of the three days she'd been missing, considering she continued every few seconds to mutter, "He walked away," and her voice was so hoarse and weak, virtually inaudible even for us, that I assumed that it had been overused and muttering without rest.

"Jasper!" I called, loud enough to ensure that he would hear and find me, but no louder. Throughout the days, the entire family had come searching non-stop, and we had a chain working, so Jasper always stayed within earshot of me, Rosalie within earshot of him, Emmett within earshot of Rosalie, and so on. So that if we found her, we could send the alert down the chain and come.

Within minutes the entire family was assembled and a furious Emmett had the sodden, frozen Bella huddled in his arms like a baby. She didn't even appear to be aware that we had her.

"How could he do this?" Rosalie demanded with a sorrowful glance at Bella, resting a perfect hand on the girl's head.

I hesitated. "I had a vision," I said quietly. The rest of our family turned to stare at me.

"What?" Emmett demanded, turning his ire on me. I didn't flinch away.

"In my vision, Edward killed Bella. Edward saw, and he and I promised not to say anything, because I couldn't find the vision after that. I told him it wouldn't happen. But apparently he didn't think so." I paused and stopped breathing because I saw Esme's face. I'd never seen her so angry, and she was angry at _me_. Bella was her child, her baby, and I'd played an uncontrollable part in Edward's actions, in her mind. She raised her hand as though to strike me, but then she fell to weeping, throwing her arms around Carlisle's neck and body shaking with her sobs.

Jasper embraced me, and I swallowed the lump in my throat to avoid crying myself.

Emmett refused to let Bella go- we all knew Bella was his favorite of us, besides Rosalie. She was like his little sister. We all ran home as quickly as we could, and once we were inside, Rosalie forcibly took Bella from Emmett with the promise that he could see her when we were done, and Rosalie and I took Bella upstairs gingerly. She was still shivering, and we hadn't been able to make her stop muttering "He walked away." She couldn't even understand us.

Rosalie passed Bella to me and ran to start a steaming hot bath, hardly bothering to put any cold water in at all, turning the hot handle all the way on. The bath was filling as we carefully undressed Bella, gingerly peeling away the saturated clothing. Then we carried her over to the tub and sat her down in the burning bath. A shudder wracked her spine, and her locked muscles loosened almost imperceptibly. I sighed in relief, but it didn't last.

Her dark eyes remained unseeing, and Rosalie and I exchanged worried glances when she muttered again:

"He walked away."


	10. Chapter 10: Mute

**It's been an unbelievably, inexcusably long time since I've updated. I would totally understand if you guys were pissed and didn't want to read anymore, but I hope that you're interested enough to want to find out when the hell Edward is coming back. Because I promise I haven't been idling the _entire_ time I've been sitting and doing nothing. I do have plans for this story now, as well as my others. But here is the next update.**

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**Alice's Point of View**

Bella stayed in her room, unmoving, on her bed for nine days. It took a long time to bath the limp, leaden form in order to try and wake her from her odd state of consciousness. Once Rosalie and I had done that and clothed her, Rosalie carried Bella to the bed, where we arranged her comfortably. Bella though, had other designs for herself. The dark-haired vampire promptly rolled herself into her side at an awkward angle that had to be extremely uncomfortable and stayed there; we could do nothing to persuade to her shift, much less move from the bed. Eventually, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and I had to return to school, but Emmett and I rarely left Bella's side. I think Jasper and Rosalie began to even feel a little jealous that Bella occupied so much of our time, but it wasn't exactly like either of them were in a coma-like state. Carlisle was worried as well; he'd never heard of a vampire sinking so low in consciousness, and Bella seemed to be almost in a dream, catatonic. Nothing we did even seemed to register in her eyes or movements. She merely stared at the wall as held her hands huddled against her neck and face, curled in a ball, occasionally murmuring, "He walked away," intermittently.

"Miss Cullen," my English teacher interrupted, and I cut my eyes toward her quickly in a flash before glancing down at my textbook, biting my tongue to correct her to _Mrs._

"Yes?"

"Can you explain to me what I just said about what Rochester's wife symbolized in _Jane Eyre_?" Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I nodded and sat up slightly straighter.

"She embodies two ideas, based on opinion; the first is Jane's unconscious fear of what marriage to Rochester will do to her- being trapped in a marriage that might potentially destroy her independence and eventually sanity; the second being Victorian marriage in general. The housewife in a marriage has a certain standard set for her, and the role she plays is very limiting, something Charlotte Bronte likely perceived and integrated into her novel."

The class stared at me, and I merely watched the teacher with wide, innocent eyes, unblinking, until she looked away; even women could be dazzled by enough beauty.

My thoughts returned to Bella. I tried to gain a vision of my pseudo-sister, but all I could see indefinitely was her huddled form laying against the wall with no sign of life. Only vampires could stay so completely still that they appeared to be actual marble statues. Edward, on the other hand, was somehow beyond my ability to interpret. When I tried to see him, I received a blur of images that made no sense either alone or together. Occasionally I could decipher a cliff, a forest, deer, a mountain lion, and the old, dark, musty attic of some building where rats and insects crawled. Gross.

So absorbed was I in my thoughts that when my phone buzzed from in my pocket I nearly jumped, though I should have seen the call coming. Flipping open the phone under my desk and glancing at it, I saw the words _Bella sat up. Hurry home._ My hand shot into the air, almost too fast for a human, causing several of my classmates to jump in their seats.

"I don't feel well. May I be excused?" I asked in a rush, the words out of my mouth with practiced ease. My perfect face was the picture of ill-feeling, my hand not in the air held lightly over my lower stomach to create the illusion that I was sick to my stomach. The teacher nodded once, and I stood, gathering my bag and props before exiting the classroom at a break-neck pace. The nurse barley had time to glance up before I was signing a sign-out form in a whirlwind of writing and excusing myself as being sick. Emmett and Rosalie were walking in right behind me as I was leaving, excusing themselves with a forged note to leave for a dentist appointment No one who took one look at our perfect teeth would doubt that we took dental hygiene seriously. Jasper was waiting outside for me, leaning against my car. We'd taken to using two cars since _He Who Shall Not Be Named_ had left us, none of use willing to use, or even look at, his Volvo. Emmett had actually taken off in it, reportedly pushing it to the fastest it would go, even with Rosalie's reworking, and crashing it off a cliff, dashing out of the window just as it went over the edge and exploded into a fiery rubble of car parts at the bottom. Even though I could see Edward's hesitancy to be around Bella after my vision I had developed a sense of anger toward him for abandoning Bella, who so clearly needed him. The rest of my family hadn't actually seen the vision and thereby hated him with a burning passion, according to Jasper. Our loyalty to Bella ran deep, while our devotion to Edward, which had been strong as a friend and as family, had been rooted in and begun with the fact that he made Bella happy and was with her. Jasper's loyalties were more complicated, seeing as his decision to use our lifestyle had been centered around mine, but he loved Bella as a friend and of course was on her side.

But back to the events Jasper got into my car with just as much urgency as I did, and we sped along the highway out to our house as fast as the newly adopted Black Honda Accord would go, Rosalie and Emmett's Red Altima riding my bumper close behind. Making a wild turn into our driveway, I careened around the parking circle and slammed on the brakes, throwing the car into park and yanking the keys out before dashing upstairs.

Bursting into Bella's room, Bella looked up at me from where she was sitting on her bed, eyes wild and black with thirst. The rest of us piled in behind me and watched carefully as Bella stood, clearly weakened by her lack of hunting for the past two weeks now. "Oh, Bella," I said, slowly stepping forward and taking her hand as she stared at me without recognition. "It's me, Alice. Let's go hunting." Rosalie and Jasper disappeared with a wave of my hand, but Emmett was loathe to leave Bella, who looked so forlorn and confused. We silently agreed that he could come, and Esme watched with overprotective eyes while we walked Bella out at an agonizingly slow pace, even for humans, and toward the forward. Animals grew silent and disappeared as they sensed our arrival, but even the scent of their blood didn't stir Bella. I knew she didn't _feel_ the burn for blood, but even her immunity to it's attraction didn't abate the need of it to survive, and she felt the effect of a lack of blood on her system.

"Hunt, Bella," Emmett coaxed, taking her arm and pointing at a deer that hovered on the edge of a clearing, eyes wide and head up, aware of danger and deciding what it should do. Bella looked at me, who nodded, and she returned her gaze to the deer. After a half instant, she took off at a reckless speed, throwing herself at the deer and quickly devouring the blood before turning to another deer that had begun to run and dashing after it too, draining it as well. She appeared sated and calmly walked over to us again, eyes back to her golden topaz and nearly devoid of emotion. Her dark jeans and black shirt were unstained, no trace of blood on her face or body.

"Ready to go back?"Bella nodded in response to Emmett's question, and we each took her hand and ran back to the house at a lope. I noticed that she'd stopped muttering the monotonous phrase she'd been repeating for what seemed like an eternity, her voice growing softer and coarse from overuse.

Our first problem with Bella came when we reached the stairs; she balked at the sight of them, hesitating to ascend the soft, carpeted staircase. With some persuasion, we were able to convince her to accompany us, however. It was in the hallway that we reached our real obstacle. The sight of hers and Edward's door to their room sent her into an insane frenzy. She began to struggle in our arms, kicking and flailing and leaving us grasping at her to hold on. Tangled hair fell into her face, limp from a lack of attention, and her eyes sparked with fear and horror. Bella's mouth opened in a silent scream and she shook her head violently while she tried to back up.

It was only after a minute that we were able to successfully put her in Rosalie's and Emmett's room, which was the closest, and force her onto the bed while her chest heaved with unneeded breath. "Dear Jesus," Emmett, said, his own breath ever so slightly uneven. "That was one fight." Indeed, Bella put up a huge fight when she was riled up, and I was surprised that Emmett hadn't been able to merely throw her over his shoulder and carry her out of there.

"We're going to need a plan B."

Bella ended up staying in the guest room, in which she remained for two days. One day, when we arrived home from school, Bella was downstairs in the kitchen, sitting up rigidly in a barstool while Esme fooled around with a recipe. Bella appeared to be responding to conversation with limited responses, but when I said hello tentatively to her, she smiled back at me weakly.

"What are you doing, Esme?" I asked, trying to appear casual about the fact that Bella was acting alive.

"I thought I'd try out some baked things for you to give to your teachers for fall break.

"Umm," I said, licking my lips from habit, "Esme, who do intend on testing your creations on?" It wasn't like we could test them ourselves and see if they were edible.

"I'll find someone."

"I can taste them," Bella interjected. We all stared at her for an instant before hurrying to speak, as though rushing through our words would make up for the time elapsed and make it seem like no one had noticed or been surprised by her words.

"You can't taste food," I reminded her, to which Bella shook her head.

"Actually, I can. I just can't eat it, like every other vampire. My taste pallet isn't normal, remember?" As if anything about us could be considered "normal".

"You never said anything."

"I didn't always know." I left it at that, not wanting to upset Bella, who was carefully looking over the room, face unreadable, unusually so. Moving and sitting on the stool next to Bella, I smiled at her before we started a small conversation, mostly me talking, but my heart rose to see Bella responding to my prompts.

Bella went to school the next day.

I was surprised to see Bella come down the stairs calmly, dressed in a stunning outfit. I'd run to the mall during the afternoon to buy clothes for Bella after her fit, putting then neatly in the guest room for her use. She obviously wouldn't be able to go into her room to retrieve her own, and the blue-walled chamber had become sort of forbidden for the rest of us in silent consensus. I'd never imagined that she would pick the outfit she was now clad in. Bella's black jean skirt was short, barely dress code, and her pale, perfect legs were exposed for the rest of the world to see. She still remained in flats, but they were strappy and navy blue. Her top was a scooping necklined and form fitting also navy blue and had a dark green design on it that was difficult for human eyes to see of chain links in a random array across her chest and stomach, wrapping around to her back It was rather revealing. Her hair was up done, actually parted neatly and several strands hanging to frame her flawless face. A black fleece jacket hung from her left hand as she used her right to steady herself on the stair railing.

"Hi, Bella," Rosalie said, eyes communicating what her words would not as she raked her gaze over the vampire's attire- that Bella would _not_ wear this kinda of clothing. A pre-Edward trauma Bella, at least.

Bella's face flinched so quickly it was almost unnoticeable, but then it hardened and she cut her eyes at Rosalie before smoothing her features. "I'm ready to go," she said before exiting the house, leaving the rest of us standing in the foyer, staring after Bella before stumbling after in a moment of shock-induced difficulty in remembering how to walk.

**Hope this satisfied you for now, while I update the rest of my stories. It was longer than my average, over 2000 words, which is a minimum from now on, I hope. I also hope you weren't too disappointed, if at all...?**

**Review please? It would be ever so helpful and much appreciated.**

**Love you all!**


	11. Chapter 11: Sob

**No excuses... I'm just going to update and pretend like it's been two days since my last chapter.**

**(Since for some reason I can't rename chapters anymore...:)**

**CHAPTER TITLE: Anger**

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**Alice's POV**

Sitting in the car on the way to school that day was an awkward five minutes. Everyone was preoccupied trying to hide their thoughts from Bella, who was all too aware of the topic of their thoughts, making it painful and uncomfortable for her. As for me, I was continually hit by waves of visions of Bella flinching and wincing at the pain various, seemingly harmless objects around her inflicted. The seat belts reminded her of the way Edward and she had playfully wrestled in the front seats to entrap each other in Edward's vehicle before school; Rosalie's headband was the same that she'd worn the first day of school here, which inevitably brought forth memories of how she'd spent that day during her time with Edward; the list of inanimate objects went on and on. Jasper could only do so much, and he sensed our distress and therefore tried to alleviate by emanating waves of calm. Bella was not to be controlled; despite the pain of her memories, she seemed determined to resist Jasper's aid. I couldn't imagine her train of thought pertaining to why she would want to inflict turmoil on herself when Jasper could help, if only slightly.

Turning, I leaned toward Jasper and pressed a light kiss onto his cheek, Jasper returning the affectionate gesture by wrapping a muscled arm around me and pulling me close against him. Bella's face became unreadable, and my slight giggle died on my lips.

Once we reached the school, Emmett and Rosalie took off after hesitant good-byes, eager to be away from the scene of sorrow despite there desire to help. Not all of us could be so emotionally in touch with ourselves. I was surprised though, to see that Bella gathered her messenger bag of books and immediately took off afterward, head high and body posture only slightly stiff to the vampire's eye, as though she were immune to the stares and whispers (and thoughts) of those around her. Heads turned as soon as people were aware that the only Cullen unaccounted for had returned. It didn't take long; Bella was gorgeous, even for a vampire, and even the most plain of our kind attracted attention wherever they were. Edward had "moved" and gone to live with a distant relative, the rest of us "deciding unanimously" to stay with our foster parents. And now that Bella was back and rumored to be "on the market", the Y chromosomes were giving her more attention than ever.

During second period English, Bella stared mutely at the wall before the bell rang, afterward studiously taking notes and ignoring the lustful stares of the freshman around us. I could foresee no immediate threats to Bella's tenacious sanity, so I didn't interfere and merely became a silent companion who shadowed my sister throughout the day.

Lunch became the first problem we'd had during the day. As soon as we approached the commons' doors, I received a dizzying flash of Bella emitting a faint moan before dashing at vampire speed out of the room in front of the students.

**Bella's POV**

Lunch. Students. Boredom. Loud buzzing. My thoughts were focused as I trudged along beside Alice to lunch, my gait like a mule's stocky plodding compared to her waif-like dancing grace. Everything around me was extremely clear, like an extremely high-quality film was being played in my vision. Colors were overly-bright and sounds too loud. I'd started the day off well, as I'd intended, but ended up merely trying to cling to my walls that I'd built. The two names that floated around 90% of the student population's minds today were the two that I couldn't bear to hear.

The sight of the lunch doors stopped me short. My wide-eyed gaze was puzzling, I'm sure, to everyone around me. But I could only see one thing, one flashback that unravelled my composure.

_Alice bounded up to me while Edward and I stood in the lunch line._

_"Well, I'm just starving," she joked loudly to us. Jasper strode up behind her, grabbing her hand. "So..." Alice continued, drawing out the word as she gave me a knowing smirk. I blinked, confused. "How does the boys' bathroom look?" she asked me, and my jaw dropped._

_"Please tell me any vision you had didn't last very long?" Alice shook her head._

_"Eww! God, no!" She giggled. "I was only looking for what you guys were doing after Jasper felt your __emotions__..."_

_"Yeah, could you two scream lust any louder?" Jasper intercepted with a grossed out expression. I wrinkled my nose as well._

_"Okay, Jasper- Just so you know, it's really weird to hear you say lust. Kinda grosses me out."_

_I paid for my lunch, then walked over to Edward, who had gotten his and was waiting several feet away. Edward made me blush when he tried to make fun of Jasper's, Alice's and my conversation._

_"You better be nice to me," I whispered to him, face inches from his._

_"Why?" he asked me._

_"Because, I make you happy." Edward laughed._

_"Says who?"_

_"You." I walked away, releasing the hold I'd had on his shirt._

_"Bella!" he called, running after me. "Don't go!" I grinned._

_"See?" I asked him, turning to find him right behind me._

_"Yes. Now, make me happy." I willingly conceded, allowing him to lift me up enough to where I could reach him._

I broke out of my memory when Alice grasped my arm tightly and pulled to the left. Breathing tight and irregular, I looked to the left and saw the glass door that led outside, where the picnic benches were laid out in a grid on the grass. Inwardly withering, I wondered how I would survive the rest of the day.

**Jasper's POV**

Emmett pounded his fist on the immense coffee table from his position on the couch.

"I'll _kill_ him. If I _ever_ see him again, I swear... If I get my fists around his neck..." Emmett's rantings trailed off into infuriated silence, too angry to form a coherent sentence. Wincing at the fury radiating from him, I automatically released a wave of calm and peace.

"Don't do that," Rosalie snapped, glancing in my direction as she rubbed Emmett's substantial biceps. Her glare was softer though, not as heated as moments before. No one could resist the side-effects of my charismatic nature. Alice stared at the wall, her mind following her own twisting paths. I knew she was thinking and feeling tense but calm, so I left her alone, as I knew she wanted. Warm love filled my gaze as I watched my wife, the reason I was who I was. I didn't know what I'd do if anything happened to her, which made me suddenly more receptive to Bella's situation, though I disliked feeling and influencing her emotions; they were too strong, but dead at the same time. She was unpredictable, but at the same time monotonous. Her bland pain and apathetic emotions were a dull ache in my mind, but the random spikes of anger and uncontrollable agony that was usually tempered by some mental block she had on herself made it unendurable, even more so because I couldn't watch for them.

Bella was currently off hunting, and the family was discussing what to do about the seemingly irreversible change in the Bella we'd all known and loved.

"I don't see how doing anything to her is going to help," Rosalie stated with her usual flair for the dramatic. For all her bluster, I could sense Rosalie's sense of bewilderment and helplessness at Bella's state. Though she was self-centered and typically shallow, Bella was a part of the family, and as a result she would do anything for her dark-headed kin.

"Anything short of Edward coming back," Alice said suddenly, causing everyone to react. Emmett and I both emitted a low snarl; Edward had betrayed the family and hurt Bella, forever branding him an unforgivable committer of crimes. Rosalie's emotion flared to interest, while Esme grew bemused. Carlisle alone remained the same: thoughtful. He usually took everything in calmly and rationally, making his emotions easier to bear, and dependable in a crisis.

"What exactly do you mean, Alice? Have you had a vision?" Carlisle asked. Alice gave him sharp look.

"No. I just meant that if Edward came back and explained why he left, maybe she would get better."

"What reason could he possibly have for leaving?" Emmett growled, clenching his jaw. I saw Alice's hesitation, read the words in her mind as though I had Edward's ability, knew what she was thinking. I stayed silent.

"Before Edward left..." Alice began. "I had a vision." Alice's chirp-like voice was sure and confident. She alone could see the turns of the future, however uncertain, and not even I could always understand the world as Alice saw it. "Edward... was going to kill Bella. It wasn't pretty." Cries of outrage covered Alice's attempts to continue speaking. I was the only creature silent thus far.

"It was fleeting! Not a permanent vision! I attributed it to a heated argument- Edward wasn't so certain. I think he left because he was going to kill her." The only one who heard the false note in Alice's voice, I cast her a sideways glance. She may not have been able to find the vision again, but the one time she'd had it the vision had been _very_ cemented. She sobbed silently about it the entire night in my arms when no one was around. That was before she'd decided that it wasn't a possibility because she couldn't find that future anymore.

"Then he deserves to have gone away!" Rosalie hissed. Emmett flexed his fists in silent voicing of his opinion. Several minutes of this discussion continued before Carlisle intervened.

"It is too late to find Edward now, and he is best serving our family away from Bella. I-"

"Are you talking about me?" Bella demanded as the door swung open. The room grew silent at the stewing expression. The unpredictable anger and agony. Bella wasn't finished though. "We are _not_ ever going to mention his name again," she commanded us before regally sweeping up the stairs to the guest room. Alice sprinted up the stairs and followed, leaving the rest of us in the sitting room for a moment before dispersing in a hurried fashion.

**Alice's POV**

Bella was in the guest room on the bed, sitting cross-legged, when I entered without knocking. She didn't look back from where she'd been staring out the window.

"Hello, Alice," she said in a pleasant voice. I traipsed across the floor and settled myself behind her, urging her with an arm to turn around and face me.

"Bella-" I began, before Bella cut me off.

"I said _never_, Alice." A hard edge entered the deceptively happy voice from before.

"But listen. I had this vision, Bella, that Edward was going to- hurt you. And you know how protective he gets. He didn't want anything to happen to you, so I think that's why he ran away." Bella answer was ambiguous in my visions, as she had no response while I spoke.

"You're wrong, Alice. He... left." But I could hear the words she wanted to speak. They were ingrained into my memory, and her lips apparently. _walked away_. Bella's voice choked up and I could see a flood of empty misery and hollow agony in her newly golden eyes. "He said he didn't love me!" she wailed quietly, falling into my waiting arms. _This_, I'd foreseen before it happened. The flood of tears that would never come erupted in the next few hours in the form of choke gasping for air and quiet dry heaving (an instinct from human life, not a natural action for vampires). I looked up at the ceiling from over Bella's head; I could see no end to this in the future. There was only an endless tirade of anguish and torment.

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**Okay, so I know not _exactly_ what I promised, but trust me. There is a complete 180 in the next chapter. And in case you were going to comment, I promise to keep away from Jasper's POV from now on, especially considering I'm not very good at it... at ALL. I don't anticipate using Alice as a narrator either, which is fortunate given my lack of talent in writing from her perspective as well, if possible. But I've been bugged a million times (rightfully so) on writing a new chapter, so it's LONG LONG LONG overdue.**

**By the way, can I make a few comments on other topics? Anyone a fan of One Tree Hill? Oh my God! Seriously, I'm freaking out. SOOO good. Feel free to share opinions.**

**And anyone read the Sword of Truth? Good fantasy series, if you're into the hardcore dragon and magic and wizard shit and all that. Well, they're making a TV series on it called "Legend of the Seeker", and I was wondering if anyone had seen/read and if so, comments?**


	12. Chapter 12: Coincidences

**Bella's Point of View**

There was a sense of tense caution as I stepped down the stairs, my heels clicking dangerously on the carpeted steps, sound accentuated to my supernatural sense of hearing compared to the inaudible sound humans experience. My skin tight, dark skinny jeans gathered slightly around my ankles with the extra length, and the plunging V-neck of my lacy sleeveless tank top exposed my chest somewhat more than usual. The dark gray long, "boyfriend" style sweater I wore over the tank would pretend to keep me warm against the cold weather, but it was unnecessary. I didn't expect to feel anything but cold today.

In the car on the way to school, I brightly told Alice that maybe we should go hunting together today after school.

"I kinda wanted to go to the mall, Bella. But... you could come?" The suggestion framed as an uncertain question bounced around inside my skull before I could answer; it took me longer than it should have to process it.

"Why not?" I replied, shrugging. Alice's eyes widened almost imperceptably, and I looked ahead at Emmett, who was driving.

"You guys know that soon it will be Fall Holidays, right?" Rosalie interjected after a half minute of silence.

"Carlisle wants to go on a family trip." No one said anything else, but I could hear the silence like a buzzing.

"Sounds fun," I commented, a smile on my face. "Where to?"

"Greece."

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**Third Person Narrator**

The stares from students at school did not subside over the next few days, and Bella's bright new demeanor was the topic of discussion. Rumors flew around campus, that she was pregnant and Edward left and abandoned her, that he had died, that a relative had died, that they'd kicked him out after he slept with a girl from Creekview High across town... the list went on and on. Bella never seemed to notice the talk, and her conversation was happy and behavior accomodating. She shopped with Alice, did her nails with Rosalie, and hunted with Emmett and Jasper. She did her homework, was well behaved, and rarely socialized with anyone from school. More pairs of eyes than ever followed her with her new attire, which grew more and more flamboyant and revealing as the weeks went on. A new rumor circulated that Bella was "screwing" someone on the side. None of the Cullens ever seemed to notice, and soon the only talk was the typical subjects about the Cullens. Edward Davis was only an undercurrent of conversation that touched someone's thoughts whenever Bella seemed especially bright or exceptionally cold on the rare day.

After Bella arrived at school in her own car, separately, the Thursday before Fall break, she leaned against it to avoid going in to class. The weather was uncharacteristically warm, though clouds still covered the sky. Bella leaned her head back against the car door, eyes closed.

"Excuse me, do you know where the front office is? I'm afraid I'm not sure how to get there." She lifted her head and opened her eyes, shocked at the sight that greeted her: a vampire stood before her. He was not tall, perhaps 5'7" (though compared to her 5'2", that was quite a height), and thickly muscled. Brilliant blonde hair glimmered in the filtered light and gave his skin an eretheral glow. The vampire's ocher eyes were somewhere between golden and black, indicating his recent lack of food. He had an odd smile on his face, not quite a smirk, but not insincere either.

"The front of the school," Bella replied edgily, wondering why Alice hadn't mentioned this before.

"Tart. Nice. I was actually wondering if you'd show me." His expresion never changed.

Pushing off the car, Bella clasped her books tighter in her arms and walked silently toward the front office.

"Who are you?" she demanded, edge not receding.

"I'm called Ryan. And you're Bella." Casting a subtle side-glance, Bella merely said, "Yes," in response to the question that was more of a statement.

"Don't worry. I'm no threat. And I'm alone," he added. "I'm an 'emancipated minor'." A chuckle ran through him. His voice was deeper than... another's, and there was no honey in his voice, but it was not unpleasant, as no vampire's was.

"Good for you. Abusive father?"

"Of course. And I had to get away from the town he's in, so I moved here." In a lower tone, he added, "I'd heard of a large clan of... what is it?... vegetarians?" Bella nodded, and another chuckle ensued.

By that point, they reached the front office, and Bella started to leave after showing him in the door. But no sooner did she get into first period than Ryan appeared behind her. "What a coincidence. First period together." Bella ignored him and took her seat, smiling brilliantly at David, who gazed at her for an instant before the teacher grabbed his attention by barking his name.

"Class, our new student, Ryan, has just transferred from Minnesotta (sp?). Give him a nice welcome." Ryan was shown a seat, another coincidence, right by Bella.

Looking at her, he held out a hand. "I think we're going to be good friends," he said with another smile.


End file.
